The Strength to Fight
by Abarero
Summary: When Kagura decides to see once again if Sesshoumaru will help her escape Naraku she sees Sesshoumaru's slightly more caring side in his fosterparent like actions towards Rin. A oneshot following Kagura and Sesshoumaru's encounter in episodes 66,67.


Hiya! This fic was posted on the Hyper Fangirls Without Sleep- http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=204376 account… but because that is a group account… and I have been writing more of my own fics that aren't part of that writing team, I have decided to get my own account to post individual stuff. So yup… it's being re-posted under my account, but it has been deleted from HFWS

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The Strength to Fight

By Jennie Starwind

Kagura sat thinking, Inu Yasha wouldn't be any help...and Sesshoumaru, she sighed, he had no interest in the shikon shards and won't do anything otherwise. "What if I could offer him something else?" She pondered, desperate for any means of escape. "I can't think of anything else I could offer, but I could ask him again...it's better than just blindly following Naraku's orders." She pulled a feather from her hair, and headed off in the direction she'd last seen Sesshoumaru.

She saw him and his companions in a forest clearing, and thought it best to wait till the others were asleep to approach him. Landing nearby, she hid amongst the trees, and listened to the conversation.

"Jaken...we will rest here for the night." 

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken said, taking Ah-Un to a nearby tree and tying the reins around the trunk. He then sat below the tree, and seemed to fall quickly asleep. Kagura shifted her attention back to Sesshoumaru and the girl. 

"Sesshoumaru-sama, will you tell me a story?"

"Not tonight, Rin."

"Okay! Goodnight Sesshoumaru-sama!" She said walking a bit away.

"Rin..." His voice made her turn back towards him. "Are you cold?" he asked noting the way she was rubbing her arms. 

"Well..." She looked down, shuffling her feet.

"Rin, come here." She slowly walked back over to where he was leaned up against the tree. He indicated to his tail that was curled to his side. "Sleep here, Rin." He stated simply. She nodded, and curled up in the fluffy fur, murmuring quietly. He closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the trunk. After a few minutes, Kagura decided that the girl was asleep, and now would be the best time to confront him. As she was just about to walk out from behind the tree, the girl stirred. 

"No, mommy, don't leave me...no..." Sesshoumaru's eyes opened, and focused on the mumbling girl. "Mommy..." Sesshoumaru gently brushed the hair from her face. 

"Rin..." She blinked and looked up at him, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. "She's...she's gone..." The girl cried, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Rin, hush." He said quietly. She looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I miss her, Sesshoumaru-sama." He lifted back down.

"You need to sleep, Rin." She nodded and returned to where she was being permitted to sleep for the night. His eyes focused on the movement he had spotted nearby, distinguishing a familiar figure. "Kagura, if you are still wanting me to kill Naraku, you might as well leave." 

Knowing her hiding place was of no use anymore; she walked out from behind the tree.

"What do you want me to give you? You don't want the shards."

"I don't do things simply because other people want me to. As I told you before, if you want him dead, kill him yourself." 

"How? If I try anything, he'll kill me first." 

"What would you rather have, a life of servitude or death." 

"Neither..."

"Then change it." 

"What?"

"Become stronger and defeat him yourself." 

"But..." 

"If you don't have the courage to fight your own battle, then you might as well be dead." Kagura balked at this. How could he be...so...blunt when it was her life on the line? 

"Sesshoumaru-sama...." The girl murmured in her sleep, cuddling closer to his side. His face softened a little, and he patted her gently on the head. 

"It's okay, Rin. I'm still here." Kagura looked between the two. Her mind raced, _"Why would he take care of this mere human girl...?" _

"Thank you....Sesshoumaru-sama...for...saving...me..." She mumbled in her sleep. A look of shock registered on Kagura's face. 

"You...saved a human?" 

"I was testing the abilities of my sword, that was all." He replied calmly. Before she could say anything else, he spoke again. "You'd better leave now, Kagura. Naraku might find you here otherwise." Realizing he was right, she simply nodded and pulled a feather free from her hair. 

As she headed back, she looked in the direction she had come from and said quietly to herself, "I will become stronger, then...maybe I can find someone like you to take care of me."

~The End~

A/N: I wanna give a big thanks to my fellow Inu Yasha RP-ers, BJ and Elf. If it wasn't for RP-ing Kagura/Sesshoumaru/Rin so much I'm not sure if I would have written this ^^ (hands BJ a Fluffy-plushie and Elf a fruit) Also, thanks to my pal, the great and wonderful Kelly, who makes sure my late night writing makes sense ^^;;


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